Hyperion

"One helluva ship y'got here, Jimmy. How'd you get a hold of a floating palace like this?""The Hyperion was Mengsk's flagship back in the day. Me and Matt decided to 'borrow' her when we parted company with him. This old baby's seen us through some tight spots."

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The Hyperion was originally a Terran Confederacy battlecruiser which crash-landed on a fiery planet near Umojan Protectorate territory, courtesy of a navigation error, well out of range of Confederate hailing frequencies. It was originally commanded by Pollock Rimes. However, Umojan forces secured the crash site, removed its tracking beacon and pronounced the crew dead, though in reality giving them better pay and shorter hours in exchange for their silence. The Confederacy was angered at the loss of one of its ships, but without proof of the Protectorate's subversion, was unwilling to start another war so soon after the end of the Guild Wars. Over the next year, the battlecruiser was upgraded and modified slowly and methodically.

In 2491 it became part of Arcturus Mengsk's Rebellion of Korhal – Mengsk had allied with the Umojan Protectorate and was currently located at Umoja. When the Confederacy destroyed Korhal IV with nuclear missiles, Mengsk renamed his organization the Sons of Korhal and Mengsk renamed the vessel the Hyperion and made it the flagship of his very small fleet.[1]

The Hyperion became the mobile headquarters of the Sons of Korhal. It took part in several missions against the Confederacy, including one which resulted in the capture of ghostSarah Kerrigan.

During one mission, an officer was assaulted by a mole and a communication was broadcast to the nearby battlecruiser the Norad II, commanded by Edmund Duke. The Norad II blocked the Hyperion’s path, preventing it from escaping into warp space, then sent a boarding party. They were interested in arresting Mengsk as a terrorist and recapturing Kerrigan. The Hyperion could not fight back effectively due to the lack of weapons on its sides, but the Norad II was similarly hampered. Mengsk used that to his advantage, using a surprising attack form against the Norad II’s flank, while Kerrigan and other soldiers dealt with the boarders. The Norad II was too heavily damaged to continue the assault, enabling the Hyperion to escape.[1]

The Hyperion maintained its status as the flagship of the Sons of Korhal during the war against the Confederacy.[2][3][4] Despite its mobile nature, the ship genuinely felt like home for Mengsk.[5]

Mengsk dispatched General Edmund Duke in the Hyperion to stop Raynor, but Duke's forces were lured into the confined spaces of the shipyards, where the Hyperion was captured by a crane. Raynor's forces swarmed aboard, hijacking the Hyperion and several other ships. Raynor appointed Lieutenant Matt Horner as pilot of the Hyperion.[6] Horner would eventually become the captain.[7] The ship was scoured for any bugs that would allow the newly formed Terran Dominion to track it.[8]

Several weeks later, Raynor led the Hyperion and the small fleet to the world of Char, following the psychic screams of Sarah Kerrigan, who had been transported there by the zerg. Using shuttles, a number of troops, personally led by Raynor, descended to the surface, leaving Horner in charge of the Hyperion. The forces battled their way to Kerrigan, only to find she had already been infested, transformed into the Queen of Blades. She let the Raiders go, but initiated a covert assault on it and other ships in orbit over Char. Protoss forces commanded by ExecutorTassadar arrived, and seeing terran vessels being taken over by the Zerg, began destroying them. Horner was forced to execute a blind jump into warp space.

While the Hyperion was away, Raynor's Raiders struck an alliance with Tassadar and the Dark Templar leader, Zeratul. The Raiders believed they were stranded on Char, however more Protoss ships eventually arrived, and evacuated the surviving Protoss. Meanwhile, the Hyperion returned to Char, late due to errors caused by the rapid jump.[6]

The Hyperion made its way to Aiur.[9] Raynor used the Hyperion to help rescue Tassadar from the Conclave in return for the earlier assistance,[10] and participate in the final assault against the Overmind.[11]

The Hyperion continued to be used as a flagship for the Terran Dominion under Valerian Mengsk as far as 2512. Now commanded by Matt Horner, the ship was called into action during the One-Day War on Gystt, when OverqueenZagara called for the aid of the Terran Dominion. It served as the Dominion's center of operations while the survey team and negotiating party operated. When Abathur released his chitha in order to spark a war between the factions again, the Hyperion maintained orbit, keeping its yamato cannon locked on the surface. Later in the conflict, Zagara sent a devourer with a chitha corpse at the Hyperion, and it was brought aboard and studied in the lab by Doctor Talise Cogan. After the situation was resolved, the survey party celebrated aboard the ship.[24]

The interior of the Hyperion is well-decorated with paintings and soft lighting, with wide corridors. However, the ship's interior is not as defensible as many other battlecruiser designs, featuring numerous wide open stairways and hallways with no doors, allowing any boarded enemy free reign over a good portion of the ship.[6]

The bridge of the Hyperion is where mission briefings take place. At the bridge, it is possible to review previous or alternate missions and play them to unlock achievements or to beat previous times, although it will not affect the story currently taking place. Captain Matt Horner is usually stationed here, along with (temporarily) any new additions to the Hyperion crew.[27]

Despite the formalities, the bridge is regarded as "cozy", especially when compared to the more sparse bridges of other battlecruisers such as the Norad II.[4]

The commander's quarters are reserved for the Hyperion's captain, as with any other capital ship. To suit Arcturus Mengsk's tastes, the Hyperion's commander's quarters contained a private bathroom with marble sinktops, porcelain tiles, faucets and fixtures, not to mention access to proper water as opposed to relying on a sonic cleanser.[6]

When Jim Raynor became the ship's captain, the Raiders insisted that he take the quarters for himself, despite his objections. He considered having the room made more spartan, but knowing that it would take too long, resolved to put up with the comforts and try to concentrate on other things.[6]

The upper level kitchen ks where the food on the Hyperion is prepared. It contained a variety of sinks, ranges and ovens. The compartment is around the size of a large bridge, and cluttered with pots and pans.[1]

The sick ward is where sick and injured crew members are treated. A climate controlled containment cell that can be supplied with oxygen when necessary is featured for patients suffering from contagious viral infections. It has transparent walls.[1]

By 2512, the ship was given an officer's bar. Only officers of certain ranks were allowed to partake in it, and it was suspected reapers were not allowed in the bar. These facts were often ignored.[24]

In StarCraft II, artwork and game sprites depict the Hyperion as a Minotaur-class battlecruiser. This is likely artistic liberty, as there is no in-universe information to suggest that the ship has diverged from its Behemoth-class status.

In StarCraft II, when summoned using the editor the Hyperion will not turn when using the Yamato cannon and can fire the cannon repeatedly by using shift click.